AZ has qualified for the group stage of the Conference League. After the 1-1 draw in the first leg against SK Brann, the Alkmaarders drew 3-3 in Norway. Coach Pascal Jansen’s team seemed to have won after an excellent first half and goals from Mayckel Lahdo and Sven Mijnans. Ruben van Bommel made it 1-3 after the break, but that was not enough either. Joachim Soltvedt and Japhet Sery Larsen shot Brann to extra time. There was no score, after which the penalties were better taken by AZ.
In the first leg, substitute Lahdo was the absolute star at AZ. The Swede was rewarded for his performance with a starting place in Bergen, at the expense of Jens Odgaard. Kenzo Goudmijn was preferred in midfield to Djordje Mihailovic, among others. Striker Vangelis Pavlidis was flanked by Lahdo (right) and Ruben van Bommel (left). Jordy Clasie was still missing due to an injury, while the recovered Myron van Brederode and Tiago Dantas took a seat on the bench.
AZ took the lead in the twelfth minute after a strong opening phase. Mijnans got stuck, after which Goudmijn brought the falling ball to De Wit in one go. The attacking midfielder found Lahdo, who flawlessly found the far corner with a low slider: 0-1. After a hit by Pavlidis was rejected due to a foul by the Greek, Van Bommel also came very close: he shot a falling ball against the crossbar. AZ played unrecognizable in a positive sense compared to the first game. The Alkmaarders were sharp and that led to the 0-2 just before half an hour. Lahdo reached Mijnans, who left goalkeeper Matias Dyngeland without a chance with his shot into the far corner. Still, Brann came back into the game in stoppage time. Niklas Castro passed Fredrik Knudsen, who convincingly headed in: 1-2.
The hit gave Brann renewed hope. The Norwegians attacked after the break, but that also resulted in spaces for AZ. Lahdo got rid of his direct opponent on the right and passed to Van Bommel, who slid in from close range: 1-3. The Alkmaarders seemed to have qualified for the group stage again, but again they were disappointed. Substitute Soltvedt, cold three minutes into the field, showed in minute 66 that he had an excellent free kick: 2-3. Brann insisted and became dangerous several times, especially from standard situations. However, there were no really big chances until ten minutes before the end. Larsen headed in outlawed from a corner kick: 3-3. Brann played with new confidence and hunted for the winning goal. AZ played with visibly less confidence, but held on until extra time.
AZ started the extra time with a treble, although that did not create any opportunities. Both teams seemed to be afraid of a goal against. Substitute Ulrik Mathisen came closest to a goal before the short break. His tight shot flew just past the post. Almost immediately in the second half, Mijnans caused excitement. The midfielder shot from the bounce towards the far post and saw how Dyngeland prevented a hit with an extreme intervention. One minute before the end, Felix Myhre was sent off for a hard tackle on substitute Mees de Wit. However, AZ did not have enough time to exploit the surplus situation, so a penalty shootout had to take care of the decision. AZ and Brann shot all penalties until the 5-5 hit, after which Ryan turned Børsting’s bet. Alexandre Penetra then shot the decisive hit.